Final Friday with the old commander, which means a final crud game. Crud is essentially full contact pool played in teams without the pool on a snooker table. I outweight everyone else in the game by at least 20 lbs, so I like this game. Now this is really the first time I've seen the commander since my deployment idea was shot down, and I want to say I'm over it, but i still took it a little personnal. So all the things that happened, like her showing up an hour late to the going away crud game that she scheduled, I just took as yet another sign that I was right and she was wrong. Real mature I know, but what can i say, I tried to put my filter on, and I just couldn't manage it.
It put an interesting spin on things in my mind though. I'm sure I've pissed people off before. Maybe not to the same degree, but upset none the less. Whats the best way to resolve that kind of conflict? What do I want in this situation? What should i do in this situation?
Ultimately, it all comes down to pulling the person aside and talking to them. Without any open sincere communication, people are going to take things like this personally, when it really and truely is not a personal decision. Even though you don't want to, and even though it may be awkward and uncomfortable, you got to pull people aside and give them a chance to vent.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
17 July - entry 1
Today was fairly uneventful. I met with the A1C and the SMSgt about writing a strong package to help the A1C get promoted early. She's an outstanding troop, all she needs is just a little more volunteer/community service and she would absolutely cream the competition. I like some of the troops she's competing against, but in this scenario, this is my troop, and really the goal is to absolutely demolish everyone else's packages with this bright shinning example of pure Air Force goodness.
Yeah, we actually get that serious and competative over paperwork...
Aside from that, its really just been some housecleaning items trying to get my shop in order for the new commander. I ordered a few items to boost up the office morale. First is a set of dualing helicopters. They have lasers which you shoot at the other helicopter, and two hits make it go down. Additionally, I finally got the USB rocket launcher. You connect it through a USB port to your computer, then presto, you have a nerf gun which you can control and fire from your computer. I figure the games are a decent way to blow off some steam and build team unity as we perfect the targeting system so we can hit anyone who enters our office right in the forehead.
Yeah, we actually get that serious and competative over paperwork...
Aside from that, its really just been some housecleaning items trying to get my shop in order for the new commander. I ordered a few items to boost up the office morale. First is a set of dualing helicopters. They have lasers which you shoot at the other helicopter, and two hits make it go down. Additionally, I finally got the USB rocket launcher. You connect it through a USB port to your computer, then presto, you have a nerf gun which you can control and fire from your computer. I figure the games are a decent way to blow off some steam and build team unity as we perfect the targeting system so we can hit anyone who enters our office right in the forehead.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
16 July - entry 1
I'm not in the best of moods as i write this one, so lets see how constructive i can make this and what lessons i can learn. I prepared all the info i needed to apply for the year long deployment. I talk to the acting squadron commander to arrange to get the real squadron commander's approval, and I get completely shut down by the squadron commander. The reasoning given to me is that the knowledge i possess and continuity i provide will be helpful in an inspection that is comming in march 2009. I tried to point out that the continuity and knowledge required already exsists within the squadron, but the only response i got was aggrivation for even bringing up and trying to argue the issue.
This was devistating news for me. I really wanted that job. It looked like an amazing opportunity for me personnally, and I'm being told i can't go for it because an inspection 9 months down the road is more important than helping fight and win the war on terror. Luckily for me, i didn't get the opportunity to make that point before i was hung up on.
So what lessons can I learn from what I'm feeling right now.
1- recognize and reward your hard workers - yes, they are vital to the operations and health of your unit, but they also have a career ahead of them. Lift them up, promote them, and it will boost the morale of your unit and set a positive example for others to follow
2- breathe - yes, frustrating things happen to you, breathe, and take a second before dealing with your subordinates. Don't take out your frustration with unrelated issues on your people
3- recognize your superiors authority - This happened almost 12 hours ago and I'm still absolutely livid. However, when my troops asked me about the outcome, i simply said that the commander did not support my wishes for the deployment. I didn't go into how i felt, i didn't try to tear her authority down, i simply submitted to her judgement. She's the commander, she's earned the right to make these decisions, and there are things here that i probably can't see from where I'm at.
This was devistating news for me. I really wanted that job. It looked like an amazing opportunity for me personnally, and I'm being told i can't go for it because an inspection 9 months down the road is more important than helping fight and win the war on terror. Luckily for me, i didn't get the opportunity to make that point before i was hung up on.
So what lessons can I learn from what I'm feeling right now.
1- recognize and reward your hard workers - yes, they are vital to the operations and health of your unit, but they also have a career ahead of them. Lift them up, promote them, and it will boost the morale of your unit and set a positive example for others to follow
2- breathe - yes, frustrating things happen to you, breathe, and take a second before dealing with your subordinates. Don't take out your frustration with unrelated issues on your people
3- recognize your superiors authority - This happened almost 12 hours ago and I'm still absolutely livid. However, when my troops asked me about the outcome, i simply said that the commander did not support my wishes for the deployment. I didn't go into how i felt, i didn't try to tear her authority down, i simply submitted to her judgement. She's the commander, she's earned the right to make these decisions, and there are things here that i probably can't see from where I'm at.
15 July - entry 1
Today was more or less a rollercoaster. I didn't have the chance to really pull my shop on board with the database expansion idea because i spent so much of the day putting out fires and trying to take care of my personal career path. A year long deployment opportunity came up with a short suspense to apply on, and i decided to hop on the offer. So I spent a good portion of my time just trying to get info about the deployment. Yes, i do feel bad in retrospect because i should have been focusing on bringing this great new idea to my shop, but at the same time, I'm excited, I'm bringing a new level of energy to the workplace, and I'm really promoting the operational side of what we do. That and also it's a really neat job. Being undermanned as my shop is, i was able to leave the TSgt and the Amn alone to their jobs and was confident that everything would run smoothly for their areas. Of course the area with no coverage slacked a little because i'm the only one who knows how to maintain it.
A coworker of mine is experiencing the stress of not only having his boss gone, but an additional 50% of his mid level leadership gone as well. This guy is exceptionally good at taking up the slack, but I know that he's just frazzled after the end of the day so I do the neighborly gesture and offer to take him out for dinner after work. He needed the release and it was a good time. It drives home a good point though, you need to praise openly for subordinates who do a good job, and also give them an opportunity to vent their frustrations in private.
I think I'm doing a good job of letting my troops vent their concerns. My main concern is that there are some things, like the manning issue, that I can't control. I can only try to split up our current workload more equitibly in order to lessen the burden on single members. I just worry that while its ok to complain about things you can fix, things that can be changed, and that complaining and seeing constructive actions take place as a result is a good thing, complaining about things you can't fix only breeds a hostile environment.
A coworker of mine is experiencing the stress of not only having his boss gone, but an additional 50% of his mid level leadership gone as well. This guy is exceptionally good at taking up the slack, but I know that he's just frazzled after the end of the day so I do the neighborly gesture and offer to take him out for dinner after work. He needed the release and it was a good time. It drives home a good point though, you need to praise openly for subordinates who do a good job, and also give them an opportunity to vent their frustrations in private.
I think I'm doing a good job of letting my troops vent their concerns. My main concern is that there are some things, like the manning issue, that I can't control. I can only try to split up our current workload more equitibly in order to lessen the burden on single members. I just worry that while its ok to complain about things you can fix, things that can be changed, and that complaining and seeing constructive actions take place as a result is a good thing, complaining about things you can't fix only breeds a hostile environment.
Monday, July 14, 2008
July 14 - entry 1
So, it started as a small spark. A kinda, "gee, wouldn't that be nice" momentary thought, which throughout the day turned into an obsession. My office collects alot of data. Training numbers, personnel info, deployment data, all sorts of numbers and dates and stats. A while back I came up with the idea of marrying the personnel info i had, such as name and workcenter with the training data i had, in order to give not only the most accurate training numbers i could possibly obtain, but also give them in 1/10th of the time it would have normally took. That idea i was able to realize, and have been using that product for almost a year. Now I've spent those off moments throughout my day thinking of new ways to expand the database I've already created, dreaming of smooth interfaces, and flawless data migration. New and exciting ways of crunching numbers.
I haven't broken this plan to my people yet. I'm still in the "what can i do with this?" phase. But If i can get them as excited as I've been all day about this idea, then i just might be able to create something really useful. Thats the plan at least. I know this is a much shorter blog than i ussually write, but all I can really think about right now is how to integrate data from different sources.
I haven't broken this plan to my people yet. I'm still in the "what can i do with this?" phase. But If i can get them as excited as I've been all day about this idea, then i just might be able to create something really useful. Thats the plan at least. I know this is a much shorter blog than i ussually write, but all I can really think about right now is how to integrate data from different sources.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
11 July - entry 1
There were alot of personnel issues to deal with today. Which, in my temporary role as flight commander, kept me running from one end of my buidling to the other in meetings on how to legally deal with everything.
That fun aside, i did have a chance to quality check some work that the Amn had been doing for me. There were errors as expected and i quitely pulled him aside, addressed my issues with attention to detail in his work, and gave him examples of the errors that i had seen and what he needs to correct.
Due to the personnel issues i was having, that brief counseling session was almost the full extent of my workcenter involvement today. Its sad what a huge impact a few bad apples can have, but on the plus side, at least these are a few bad apples that will soon be escorted out of the air force.
Next week is really my last full week to shine up my office and our procedures before the new boss gets in. People joke about it, but the change of command and how abruptly it happens is really the best time to implement changes, and I need to get my changes implemented this week in order for them to pass. Now the real question is what do i need to change.
I think the answer lies in the application of some tech I've been playing around with. Namely consolidating half a dozen personnel spreadsheets that cover preformance reviews, duty status, ect into a single database that can automatically highlight discrepancies. I put something similar into place with the training system, and i think i can expand it to work for personnel as well.
That fun aside, i did have a chance to quality check some work that the Amn had been doing for me. There were errors as expected and i quitely pulled him aside, addressed my issues with attention to detail in his work, and gave him examples of the errors that i had seen and what he needs to correct.
Due to the personnel issues i was having, that brief counseling session was almost the full extent of my workcenter involvement today. Its sad what a huge impact a few bad apples can have, but on the plus side, at least these are a few bad apples that will soon be escorted out of the air force.
Next week is really my last full week to shine up my office and our procedures before the new boss gets in. People joke about it, but the change of command and how abruptly it happens is really the best time to implement changes, and I need to get my changes implemented this week in order for them to pass. Now the real question is what do i need to change.
I think the answer lies in the application of some tech I've been playing around with. Namely consolidating half a dozen personnel spreadsheets that cover preformance reviews, duty status, ect into a single database that can automatically highlight discrepancies. I put something similar into place with the training system, and i think i can expand it to work for personnel as well.
10 July - entry 1
Today was a mixed group interaction day. There's talk about our folks working with the local air national guard on a project, which means there's multiple meetings in which i get to directly observe two groups, both with their own personal objectives and limitations trying to work together to meet a somewhat arbitrary goal. For me, this is incredibly enjoyable. I know just enough of how the tech works to understand the issues and to solutions they're discussing, so I'm not completely lost in that aspect, but what I'm really paying attention to is the personality conflicts that emerge. The most interesting conflict that i saw was between a SSgt telephone troop who works in my flight, and a Chief from the guard. The Chief didn't know the ins and outs of the tech involved, but he thought he did. The SSgt knows the ins and outs of the tech, and is trying to respectfully tell the chief he doesn't know what he's talking about, and then there's a MSgt who works for the Chief who apparently is used to dealing with the Chief's incompetence and is just trying to smooth things over with the SSgt on the side.
That right there is one of the most common problems with my career field. You have a lot of "leaders" who don't have a firm grasp on the tech, making decisions without consulting the folks who know whats going on. Rather than getting over their rank and just asking the techs for ideas, they make bad policy decisions, and then the SNCOs are stuck trying to smooth things over behind the scenes. So you end up with equipment that works, but only because the techs make it work, not due to the policy decisions made by the leaders.
On the flip side of the coin, you have leaders that are trained and required to make these sweeping policy decisions, and who have been conditioned by years of unnecessary subordinate complaints to not listen to their ideas. How do you filter out good information from a sea of petty and uniformed complaints?
Its easy enough at my level because i deal with most of these techs on a day to day basis. I know who's competent, and who's a moron. So whenever i have to write up checklists or review support agreements, I know who to go to in order to get compacted, pertinent, and accurate information.
However, getting off that train of thought, the meetings of today did point out one very imporant truth. God gave you two ears and one mouth and they are to be used in that ratio. Thinking you know better than folks who have their hands on the problem, not only distances you from them, but also leads to incredibly bad calls. Leason learned, swallow your pride and ask the stupid questions.
That right there is one of the most common problems with my career field. You have a lot of "leaders" who don't have a firm grasp on the tech, making decisions without consulting the folks who know whats going on. Rather than getting over their rank and just asking the techs for ideas, they make bad policy decisions, and then the SNCOs are stuck trying to smooth things over behind the scenes. So you end up with equipment that works, but only because the techs make it work, not due to the policy decisions made by the leaders.
On the flip side of the coin, you have leaders that are trained and required to make these sweeping policy decisions, and who have been conditioned by years of unnecessary subordinate complaints to not listen to their ideas. How do you filter out good information from a sea of petty and uniformed complaints?
Its easy enough at my level because i deal with most of these techs on a day to day basis. I know who's competent, and who's a moron. So whenever i have to write up checklists or review support agreements, I know who to go to in order to get compacted, pertinent, and accurate information.
However, getting off that train of thought, the meetings of today did point out one very imporant truth. God gave you two ears and one mouth and they are to be used in that ratio. Thinking you know better than folks who have their hands on the problem, not only distances you from them, but also leads to incredibly bad calls. Leason learned, swallow your pride and ask the stupid questions.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
09 July - entry 1
So I found myself in somewhat of a pleasant predicament today. My temp worker, the Amn, ran out of tasks to do today. Now, he didn't really run out, because there were a few loose ends on tasks I'd already assigned to him that he needed to tie up, but the fact of the matter is that this kid is hungry for things to do and ways to help out, and he's seriously challanging me to look hard at my workcenter to see what little odds and ends haven't been taken care of. I'm trying my best to marry up the tasks that I give him with training that he'll need to receive anyways as an information manager, and I think I've got a new project to throw at him.
His energy though is quite refreshing. It's causing me to raise my level just to make sure I don't lose this kid. It's forcing me to do what i haven't really had the time to do, audit my area, and look ahead for future problems. Another benefit that came from all this is a new idea for how to do the personnel system. I haven't had any new ideas on how to manage this problem in almost 4 months, but from having to explain how we do things to the Amn, and just hearing him ask those simple why questions, its really given me a chance to step back and re-evaluate how we do things. Not only that, but its given me new projects to give to him in the process.
Due to classes and other events tomorrow morning, it looks like it will just be me and the Amn in the office for a few hours. I think I'm going to just take advantage of the time and really pick the kids brain. He's a smart guy, and i have the feeling that if i just talk to him and try to go over the big picture of how we do things in my office, his perspective could give me some new ideas and revamp a few processes. At least very least it will lead to me modifying our database a little.
His energy though is quite refreshing. It's causing me to raise my level just to make sure I don't lose this kid. It's forcing me to do what i haven't really had the time to do, audit my area, and look ahead for future problems. Another benefit that came from all this is a new idea for how to do the personnel system. I haven't had any new ideas on how to manage this problem in almost 4 months, but from having to explain how we do things to the Amn, and just hearing him ask those simple why questions, its really given me a chance to step back and re-evaluate how we do things. Not only that, but its given me new projects to give to him in the process.
Due to classes and other events tomorrow morning, it looks like it will just be me and the Amn in the office for a few hours. I think I'm going to just take advantage of the time and really pick the kids brain. He's a smart guy, and i have the feeling that if i just talk to him and try to go over the big picture of how we do things in my office, his perspective could give me some new ideas and revamp a few processes. At least very least it will lead to me modifying our database a little.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
08 July - entry 1
It's incredible what a difference in leadership styles can make. My boss is still gone, and my boss's boss is away for the week, which means I'm reporting to a recently retired Major. His philosophy is one of constant optimism. He's on a first name basis with every member in the squadron, he'll walk through the hallways with a smile, slap you on the back and ask you how your day is going. I had a really difficult issue to deal with today. One of my troops's father passed away last night, and he was informed today by his grandmother. Now he's not normally in my chain of command, but once again, with my boss gone, my responsibilities have temporarily expanded.
I didn't have a clue how to deal with this one at first. Sure I've lost all 4 grandparents in the last 10 years, but this is his dad, thats a huge difference. I got really lucky, first off the SMSgt is a very emotionally intelligent leader, second off Mr B (retired Major) really helped me compose myself and approach it all from the correct angle. The SSgt who had lost his father came in, me and the SMSgt sat down and talked with him for 20 minutes. I got a really good chance to watch her talk to the SSgt. It was enlightening and I hope to some day be able to talk to a troop in that manner. The guy was compartmentalizing his emotions, and just trying to deal with the business of getting his dad's estate in order, which is exactly what I'd be doing in that situation. The SMSgt was able to talk to him and give him sort of a working plan on how to settle his dad's estate, gave him some on base contacts he could use to help him get a handle on what he needed to to, and the guy, while still grieving of course, walked out of the office with a direction on what to do next.
I made the leadership comment earlier because while the SMSgt was able to help the SSgt deal, Mr. B Really helped me get a handle on things. I get a little nervious because it feels like there's a lot riding on how i handle things and after talking to Mr. B I really gained a lot of self confidence. Not that my commander is a bad person, she's probably one of the most technically competent leaders I've ever met, its just that she lacks a lot of warmth and relatability. Mr. B was able to take my self doubt and concerns about dealing with this issue in a proper manner and really put things into perspective, after walking out of his office, i felt like i could take on any issue that might come up.
I've noticed some negative moral trends in my section. I honestly think it has alot to do with the conversations that me and my TSgt have in the office. I need to find way to revamp the energy levels in my section. I need to cut out the negative conversations and focus on whats going right and how to improve current processes. Alot of this is dependent upon me lightening up my workload so that i can focus on these conversations, but I think I'm seeing a way to accomplish this in the next couple of weeks.
I didn't have a clue how to deal with this one at first. Sure I've lost all 4 grandparents in the last 10 years, but this is his dad, thats a huge difference. I got really lucky, first off the SMSgt is a very emotionally intelligent leader, second off Mr B (retired Major) really helped me compose myself and approach it all from the correct angle. The SSgt who had lost his father came in, me and the SMSgt sat down and talked with him for 20 minutes. I got a really good chance to watch her talk to the SSgt. It was enlightening and I hope to some day be able to talk to a troop in that manner. The guy was compartmentalizing his emotions, and just trying to deal with the business of getting his dad's estate in order, which is exactly what I'd be doing in that situation. The SMSgt was able to talk to him and give him sort of a working plan on how to settle his dad's estate, gave him some on base contacts he could use to help him get a handle on what he needed to to, and the guy, while still grieving of course, walked out of the office with a direction on what to do next.
I made the leadership comment earlier because while the SMSgt was able to help the SSgt deal, Mr. B Really helped me get a handle on things. I get a little nervious because it feels like there's a lot riding on how i handle things and after talking to Mr. B I really gained a lot of self confidence. Not that my commander is a bad person, she's probably one of the most technically competent leaders I've ever met, its just that she lacks a lot of warmth and relatability. Mr. B was able to take my self doubt and concerns about dealing with this issue in a proper manner and really put things into perspective, after walking out of his office, i felt like i could take on any issue that might come up.
I've noticed some negative moral trends in my section. I honestly think it has alot to do with the conversations that me and my TSgt have in the office. I need to find way to revamp the energy levels in my section. I need to cut out the negative conversations and focus on whats going right and how to improve current processes. Alot of this is dependent upon me lightening up my workload so that i can focus on these conversations, but I think I'm seeing a way to accomplish this in the next couple of weeks.
Monday, July 7, 2008
07 July - entry 1
I was really tempted to take the high road in the blogging tonight and ignore the class presentations, but i don't think i can. That and also work was fairly uneventful today. The first group's presentation wasn't bad at all. Yeah, it was a little dry and didn't provide me with much in the way of real world examples, but I think the ball game made up for that.
The guest speaker I've had some dealings with in the past, and am not fond of to say the least. His method of facilitating gets people to solve their own problems simply because they don't want to spend any more time in the same room with the guy. He's probably very good at the theory, and has extensive real world knowledge, but he definitely has a problem relating to the worker level and really can alienate a group of people by not talking to them in terms that mean anything to them. That could just be my opinion though.
The second groups first presentation was very well done, and had the last part of their presentation not existed, i wouldn't have been the wiser. It was really awkward to see the third member of the group present after the first two. Now, I can take my own guesses after having been forcibly subjected to his presentation as to why he was not included what the other two did however it was still blatantly obvious that they were not a group.
In an outsider situation like this, its got to be hard on how to grade the group. I mean sure the first two did a very good presentation, however it was a group project and the third member appeared to be excluded. Ultimately is your goal to present the material or is it learn and develop group dynamic skills? If its group dynamics then they obviously did not succeed, however if its just about the material, they did clearly present the material (until the meandering bit there at the end). My personal beliefs would be to hold the third member accountable for alienating himself and punish him while not fully absolving the other two of guilt and lowering their grade slightly. I mean after all, the guy's in a masters level management class and if he can't work well in a group presenting a chapter in a book, how can he possibly be a decent manager (or leader or whatever other label you choose to apply)?
Lesson learned however, our presentation needs to include real world examples and be unified. Luckily we have a really good group leader who is willing to compile the teams inputs into a seamless presentation.
The guest speaker I've had some dealings with in the past, and am not fond of to say the least. His method of facilitating gets people to solve their own problems simply because they don't want to spend any more time in the same room with the guy. He's probably very good at the theory, and has extensive real world knowledge, but he definitely has a problem relating to the worker level and really can alienate a group of people by not talking to them in terms that mean anything to them. That could just be my opinion though.
The second groups first presentation was very well done, and had the last part of their presentation not existed, i wouldn't have been the wiser. It was really awkward to see the third member of the group present after the first two. Now, I can take my own guesses after having been forcibly subjected to his presentation as to why he was not included what the other two did however it was still blatantly obvious that they were not a group.
In an outsider situation like this, its got to be hard on how to grade the group. I mean sure the first two did a very good presentation, however it was a group project and the third member appeared to be excluded. Ultimately is your goal to present the material or is it learn and develop group dynamic skills? If its group dynamics then they obviously did not succeed, however if its just about the material, they did clearly present the material (until the meandering bit there at the end). My personal beliefs would be to hold the third member accountable for alienating himself and punish him while not fully absolving the other two of guilt and lowering their grade slightly. I mean after all, the guy's in a masters level management class and if he can't work well in a group presenting a chapter in a book, how can he possibly be a decent manager (or leader or whatever other label you choose to apply)?
Lesson learned however, our presentation needs to include real world examples and be unified. Luckily we have a really good group leader who is willing to compile the teams inputs into a seamless presentation.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
04 July - entry 1
Today provided a great opportunity to just sit down and relax. I didn't go into work, didn't do any homework, and i didn't read any class materials. I just managed to sort of tune out for a day. Monday my new commander arrives. Now officially she won't be here till the 22nd, but she'll be on base monday and thus there will be, starting monday, a chance of running into her and making a first impression.
Now I'm confident in my job, and when it comes to things that are in my area of responsibility, i know i have them covered, which is a huge improvement to the last first impression i had with my current/soon to be previous squadron commander. So already I'm walking into this situation with a good knowledge of whats expected of me and where I'm at in the grand scheme of things, which helps, alot.
I've been told that I'm a little rough when it comes to my first impressions. I tend to be overly formal and somewhat cold. I personnally find that to be polite, i mean when talking to someone of higher rank/position, i leave it up to them to set the level of formality. I find it disrespectful when someone of lower rank/position talks to me in a familiar manner right off the bat, now when they do approach me in a formal manner i almost always lower it to something much more comfortable, but still being in the place of higher rank/position means that its up to you to set the level of formality. You've earned that right.
However, there is ways to be polite but friendly at the same time, and I think that's really the area in which i have a hard time. I tend to project what i respect in others. What i respect in others is the ability to know your subject, explain it as briefly as possible while still ensuring comprehension, and to give you the quick answers you need. So, because thats what I like to see in others, thats what i try to project when first meeting someone. I'm polite, i get straight to the point, explaining only what is neccessary along the way, and i give the answers to the questions I'm asked/know i will be asked, as soon as possible. While I respect that, its definitely a cold and mechanical way of going about things. I'll ask that guy for info all day long, but as far as really liking or trusting him, I wouldn't dream of that until the kid lightens up a bit.
I think that competence, humility with a dash of self effacing humor, and being thorough while keeping it brief is probably the best approach here. It says I know what I'm doing, I'm not a braggart, and I can take a joke. So how to get there, really i just need to get my half a dozen projects knocked out before monday. It means a little work over the weekend, but it will also put me into a much more relaxed position on monday to be able to focus on what I'm projecting to others.
Now I'm confident in my job, and when it comes to things that are in my area of responsibility, i know i have them covered, which is a huge improvement to the last first impression i had with my current/soon to be previous squadron commander. So already I'm walking into this situation with a good knowledge of whats expected of me and where I'm at in the grand scheme of things, which helps, alot.
I've been told that I'm a little rough when it comes to my first impressions. I tend to be overly formal and somewhat cold. I personnally find that to be polite, i mean when talking to someone of higher rank/position, i leave it up to them to set the level of formality. I find it disrespectful when someone of lower rank/position talks to me in a familiar manner right off the bat, now when they do approach me in a formal manner i almost always lower it to something much more comfortable, but still being in the place of higher rank/position means that its up to you to set the level of formality. You've earned that right.
However, there is ways to be polite but friendly at the same time, and I think that's really the area in which i have a hard time. I tend to project what i respect in others. What i respect in others is the ability to know your subject, explain it as briefly as possible while still ensuring comprehension, and to give you the quick answers you need. So, because thats what I like to see in others, thats what i try to project when first meeting someone. I'm polite, i get straight to the point, explaining only what is neccessary along the way, and i give the answers to the questions I'm asked/know i will be asked, as soon as possible. While I respect that, its definitely a cold and mechanical way of going about things. I'll ask that guy for info all day long, but as far as really liking or trusting him, I wouldn't dream of that until the kid lightens up a bit.
I think that competence, humility with a dash of self effacing humor, and being thorough while keeping it brief is probably the best approach here. It says I know what I'm doing, I'm not a braggart, and I can take a joke. So how to get there, really i just need to get my half a dozen projects knocked out before monday. It means a little work over the weekend, but it will also put me into a much more relaxed position on monday to be able to focus on what I'm projecting to others.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
02 July - entry 1
Today was fairly uneventful workwise, its going to be a little hard for me to find something to write about. I've had some personal issues in the dating world that are definitely affecting me. I got enough sleep last night, and while I have been carrying an increased workload lately, I think I've been handleing it fairly well, but I've had at least 5 people come up to me today and ask me whats wrong.
I didn't think i was carrying it all around like that, i suppose i was a bit more brisk, used a little bit more sarcasm than i normally would but i honestly had no idea that i was showing it all that much. Thats kind of an issue i don't know how to deal with. I mean i keep my personal life pretty segregated from my professional. I kind of have to really. And when it invades, effects my military bearing, and becomes so prominent it effects my interactions with my coworkers, i don't know what to do. I mean i can just say I'm having some dating problems, make a joke, and go about my day, which is what i ended up doing, but the issue here that really concerns me is that i had no idea i was visibly upset.
You can't control everything about your appearance, and certainly can't control other's perceptions of you. I need to find a better way to deal with my personal life. I've been trying to find the time to go to the gym mid day, and when i can make it, it really gives me a second wind for the rest of the day. I think I need to adjust my schedule a little better an make some time to go more often. I also took the time out to talk to my peers a little more. It felt nice to talk about it all a little bit, and I think it helped me relax a little.
Tomorrow's another day, lets see if i can go about it a little more calmly
I didn't think i was carrying it all around like that, i suppose i was a bit more brisk, used a little bit more sarcasm than i normally would but i honestly had no idea that i was showing it all that much. Thats kind of an issue i don't know how to deal with. I mean i keep my personal life pretty segregated from my professional. I kind of have to really. And when it invades, effects my military bearing, and becomes so prominent it effects my interactions with my coworkers, i don't know what to do. I mean i can just say I'm having some dating problems, make a joke, and go about my day, which is what i ended up doing, but the issue here that really concerns me is that i had no idea i was visibly upset.
You can't control everything about your appearance, and certainly can't control other's perceptions of you. I need to find a better way to deal with my personal life. I've been trying to find the time to go to the gym mid day, and when i can make it, it really gives me a second wind for the rest of the day. I think I need to adjust my schedule a little better an make some time to go more often. I also took the time out to talk to my peers a little more. It felt nice to talk about it all a little bit, and I think it helped me relax a little.
Tomorrow's another day, lets see if i can go about it a little more calmly
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
01 July - entry 1
First a follow up on yesterdays "action plan". I talked to the NCOIC of the section that houses the majority of the commercial certification trainees and got the A1C into a regular training program every afternoon. She's scheduled to test in 3 weeks.
Today was a little more manageable, i didn't have nearly the avalanche of work that i had encountered on Monday. All the same, i still found myself not being able to do my job as a leader in the mentoring and training of my shop personnel. I have a somewhat disgruntled TSgt who is, rightfully so, getting fed up with the changing manning plans for my workcenter. He's got a program he doesn't want to see collapse when he steps out on leave in october, and he needs a backup to train in order to ensure his programs smooth operations throughout his leave. While I know we are getting some help for him somewhere in the future, i can't promise the guy anything because i don't have the authority to pull personnel from other shops. I'm lobbying the best i can, however with the current relationship i have with my boss, I'm unsure at how loudly my voice will be heard. The only real grace i have is the prospect of a new commander here in a few weeks. I try not to put too much emphasis on this hope, because it is a wildly unpredictable thing, but, it potentially holds the key to easing my manning issues should she feel particularly generous. For now though, lets see what i can control.
Two functions, emergency management and anti terrorism/force protection, ended up in my office. They do not belong in my office, they belong in the unit control center. They were shuffled over to my office to provide continuity through the unit control center manning changeover, and were never taken back. I'm currently shining up these programs and doing my best to ensure they're up and running, and then I'll transfer them back to the unit control center when their manning increases in another couple weeks. I'm doing this to free up my shop from yet another additional duty, thus giving my personnel even more freedom to handle the workload they already have.
Today was a little more manageable, i didn't have nearly the avalanche of work that i had encountered on Monday. All the same, i still found myself not being able to do my job as a leader in the mentoring and training of my shop personnel. I have a somewhat disgruntled TSgt who is, rightfully so, getting fed up with the changing manning plans for my workcenter. He's got a program he doesn't want to see collapse when he steps out on leave in october, and he needs a backup to train in order to ensure his programs smooth operations throughout his leave. While I know we are getting some help for him somewhere in the future, i can't promise the guy anything because i don't have the authority to pull personnel from other shops. I'm lobbying the best i can, however with the current relationship i have with my boss, I'm unsure at how loudly my voice will be heard. The only real grace i have is the prospect of a new commander here in a few weeks. I try not to put too much emphasis on this hope, because it is a wildly unpredictable thing, but, it potentially holds the key to easing my manning issues should she feel particularly generous. For now though, lets see what i can control.
Two functions, emergency management and anti terrorism/force protection, ended up in my office. They do not belong in my office, they belong in the unit control center. They were shuffled over to my office to provide continuity through the unit control center manning changeover, and were never taken back. I'm currently shining up these programs and doing my best to ensure they're up and running, and then I'll transfer them back to the unit control center when their manning increases in another couple weeks. I'm doing this to free up my shop from yet another additional duty, thus giving my personnel even more freedom to handle the workload they already have.
Monday, June 30, 2008
30 June - entry 1
Today was just an avalanche of work. It started the moment i walked in until the moment I left for class, and I was only able to poke my head out a little bit after I spent 2 hours following class in the office trying to sort through everything that came down. I was able to have the conversations with the SMSgt and A1C that i needed to have, but didn't get too much else actually done. I just can't be in 20 places at once and spend all the time I'd need on the issues at hand. Realistically you have 3-4 people doing that job's that I've gotten yoked with, and try as I might, I can't be an effective leader and an effective worker at the same time. So I spent the time after work, analysing what requirements/taskings came down, and I delegated out what i could delegate, and i still had a heaping load of work left over for me to tackle. I've prioritized given what I currently know of the urgency of all items, busted out some of the smaller, easy wins, and prepped myself to take on the larger ones later i the week.
All this is just basic time management though, and, more importantly, its all very reactionary. I'm not looking forward to see what's comming down the pipe, and I'm not trying to improve my processes. I'm just simply taking the situations as they come and reacting in the manner that will most easily solve the immediate problem. Now, lets make an exercise of trying to decide what i would be doing if i were approaching this from a more proactive stance.
Certification training for the A1C. Yes, the A1C went through her class, in fact she did fairly well, so what happens when she gets back to the workcenter? She works. She doesn't study because, low and behold, the study program does not exist as it was billed to have been availible. While I did give the A1C ample time to study on her own, thats not the real issue here. The real issue here is that the training program doesn't exist. I need to coordinate with the other shops NCOIC and get training times, places, and schedules set up.
While I don't have a lot of time to tackle this given what my workschedule looks like for tomorrow, i think that will be a good place to start with.
All this is just basic time management though, and, more importantly, its all very reactionary. I'm not looking forward to see what's comming down the pipe, and I'm not trying to improve my processes. I'm just simply taking the situations as they come and reacting in the manner that will most easily solve the immediate problem. Now, lets make an exercise of trying to decide what i would be doing if i were approaching this from a more proactive stance.
Certification training for the A1C. Yes, the A1C went through her class, in fact she did fairly well, so what happens when she gets back to the workcenter? She works. She doesn't study because, low and behold, the study program does not exist as it was billed to have been availible. While I did give the A1C ample time to study on her own, thats not the real issue here. The real issue here is that the training program doesn't exist. I need to coordinate with the other shops NCOIC and get training times, places, and schedules set up.
While I don't have a lot of time to tackle this given what my workschedule looks like for tomorrow, i think that will be a good place to start with.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
27 june - entry 1
Today was actually pretty smooth. Finally broke the news to the AB that he will not be staying in my shop. I felt sorry for the kid, he felt like he'd done something wrong. On the plus side, it was definitely a little refreshing to see someone who had been in my shop only a week and just had a desire to want to be there. I mean, he really seems to have enjoyed working with me, and i got to say, it feels kinda good to have someone actively seek you to be their boss.
I'm seeing a problem start to arise with a SMSgt I work with. Its all about definition of roles, and as I'm trying to establish myself as a temporary flight commander, she seems to be taking it as me criticising her for either overstepping her boundaries or for not being able to manage her work properly. Ultimately its a matter of responsibility, I've been put in a situation, even if it is a temporary one, where i need to know whats going on in the flight so that I can be responsible to the commander for any issues within the flight. I have nothing but the highest regard for the SMSgt and her abilities, and I respect and value her input, i just need to know whats going on. I think I'll need to have a talk with her on monday to make sure we're clear on my intentions and that its by no means a personnal attack when I request info and to be in the loop on several projects.
Also Monday brings the return of my A1C from her certification class. Now she's not really back, she has another 3-4 weeks of training her in the squadron to go through before she's officially mine again, but with all the moves and talk about the AB taking her job,, I definitely need to sit down with all parties in the room in order to explain everything, well maybe not the part about my boss being a weasel, but everything else just so there's no confusion or misinterpretation of the weeks events.
The biggest problem i have is that the A1C sits in the same room i do all day every day. She's not too bad when it comes to reading me and my moods, and while I don't exactly want to say everything that was a factor in the decisions simply because she has no reason to know, i have to be careful because if i slip in the wording or delivery I lose all credibility and only serve to lower morale.
Its a tough line, I'll have to spend some time on this one before our shop meeting on monday morning.
I'm seeing a problem start to arise with a SMSgt I work with. Its all about definition of roles, and as I'm trying to establish myself as a temporary flight commander, she seems to be taking it as me criticising her for either overstepping her boundaries or for not being able to manage her work properly. Ultimately its a matter of responsibility, I've been put in a situation, even if it is a temporary one, where i need to know whats going on in the flight so that I can be responsible to the commander for any issues within the flight. I have nothing but the highest regard for the SMSgt and her abilities, and I respect and value her input, i just need to know whats going on. I think I'll need to have a talk with her on monday to make sure we're clear on my intentions and that its by no means a personnal attack when I request info and to be in the loop on several projects.
Also Monday brings the return of my A1C from her certification class. Now she's not really back, she has another 3-4 weeks of training her in the squadron to go through before she's officially mine again, but with all the moves and talk about the AB taking her job,, I definitely need to sit down with all parties in the room in order to explain everything, well maybe not the part about my boss being a weasel, but everything else just so there's no confusion or misinterpretation of the weeks events.
The biggest problem i have is that the A1C sits in the same room i do all day every day. She's not too bad when it comes to reading me and my moods, and while I don't exactly want to say everything that was a factor in the decisions simply because she has no reason to know, i have to be careful because if i slip in the wording or delivery I lose all credibility and only serve to lower morale.
Its a tough line, I'll have to spend some time on this one before our shop meeting on monday morning.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
26 June - entry 1
After my boss's blow up and firey exit, I was curious to see how today was going to turn out. Much like I'd expect to see, the affected personnel formed a bit of a survivors cult against my boss. I did my best to discourage this, and not participate, not because i didn't agree with them, but because I'm going to have to work with this guy whenever he gets back.
It never ceases to amaze how relationships work. I mean you build up a working relationship for months/years and one action, one misspoken word, can completely shatter everything forcing you to more or less start out from scratch.
Its a good thing to keep in mind though. Whenever you get really upset in situations like that, you can't afford to lose it. Your momentary outbust might get what you need done then and there, but the trust and respect it cost you takes a long time to build back up again. Is it worth it to blow your top, just to get immediate results? What are the benefits of having the trust and respect of your subordinates? Is it better for you to be feared or respected? Yeah, thats a bit too machiavellian for my tastes.
Anywho, there are several short notices suspenses that have popped up today, that I'm trying to work. Thats part of the other reason why I'm not joining the cult of those who were scorned by their leader. I need to get them to work these suspenses for me, and if i go down to their level, I lose authority to enforce suspenses. There was some pushback at first, but i got them to start work without to much resistence.
A plus today is the AB who continues to shine. I gave him several tasks today and he preformed admirably. I made sure to point out where he did a good job. I need to remind him to take notes so i can write a letter of evaluation on him when its his time to move on.
It never ceases to amaze how relationships work. I mean you build up a working relationship for months/years and one action, one misspoken word, can completely shatter everything forcing you to more or less start out from scratch.
Its a good thing to keep in mind though. Whenever you get really upset in situations like that, you can't afford to lose it. Your momentary outbust might get what you need done then and there, but the trust and respect it cost you takes a long time to build back up again. Is it worth it to blow your top, just to get immediate results? What are the benefits of having the trust and respect of your subordinates? Is it better for you to be feared or respected? Yeah, thats a bit too machiavellian for my tastes.
Anywho, there are several short notices suspenses that have popped up today, that I'm trying to work. Thats part of the other reason why I'm not joining the cult of those who were scorned by their leader. I need to get them to work these suspenses for me, and if i go down to their level, I lose authority to enforce suspenses. There was some pushback at first, but i got them to start work without to much resistence.
A plus today is the AB who continues to shine. I gave him several tasks today and he preformed admirably. I made sure to point out where he did a good job. I need to remind him to take notes so i can write a letter of evaluation on him when its his time to move on.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
25 June - entry 1
So today I had a pretty interesting conflict with my boss. There was a quarterly award package that he requested to be done on the A1C in my office. I handed it off the my TSgt, who suggested (on the due date) that the package not be submitted. Part of this is my fault, because i tasked my TSgt with writing the package 3 weeks ago, then there was a few high priority situations that came up with disrupted our work, and the A1C the package is to be written for doesn't want it to be submitted in the first place, so I lost track of it, and the TSgt let it slide off his radar as well. Well we went to the flight superintendent (my bosses right hand who was the one we were supposed to turn the package in to) and explained that since the A1C didn't even want the package to be written in the first place, it would not only be a waste of our time writing it, but it would also just serve to lower moral in our section. The superintendent took our suggestion to my boss, and we let the package slide away. That was on monday.
We have the AB temp worker, who is doing an outstanding job, and would make a good replacement for the A1C, who is undergoing a certification process that would make her more valuable in another section of the squadron. The suggestion was made that the AB replace the A1C, and both of the flight superintendents ok'd the personnel move. My boss initially agreed to the move as well. The other flight superintendent wanted the package to be written on the A1C, and since I wasn't going to have her in my section anymore, i decided that regardless of what she wanted, I owed her this package in order to make her more competative for promotion (since i wouldn't be able to write her promotion package). My boss got wind of this, and took my decision as a personal insult. In his eyes, i wouldn't write the package for him, but i would write it for an enlisted flight superintendent. However, my boss did not inform me that he was upset at all.
He then goes into a meeting with the commander, where, after he had already told both flight superintendents that he would approve the AB to replace A1C move, he goes back on his word and completely rejects the idea to the commander. He then goes on to recommend another LT to the commander for a position that he told me he was going to recommend myself for. Additionally, he words an extremely strong(and might i say vulgar) email to myself and another section chief in his flight about missing suspenses, however, instead of addressing the award package issue, he belittles me for missing a suspense that I had already verbally told him i had no input on.
I was absolutely floored after all this. I mean, i work harder and longer than any other person in my flight including my boss. I bust my ass for the guy, and rather than talking to me about these issues, he just throws me under the bus. I only find out what happened after the damage has all been done.
Here's the larger impact though. His temper tantrum, effected not only the relationship i have with him, but also how he's viewed by both of the flight superintendents, as well as the other section cheif he belittled. Sure, he may have scored a point or two with the commander, but he lost a lot of respect from his subordinates and co-workers.
I was happy with how i handled the situation for the most part. Granted, by the time i learned the extend of the situation, my boss had already gone home for the day, so i didn't have the chance to talk to him directly. However, I did do a pretty good job of cooling off before i walked back into my workcenter. I worked out a plan with my TSgt to continue to write the award package, even though the reason for writing it wasn't the same. I listened to the flight superintendents complains about being left out to dry without going on a tie raid about how i couldn't believe what a weazel my boss was. I didn't lose my cool, and i managed to maintain the respect of my subordinates in the process.
Now, how to find a healthy way to deal with the fact that I'm still pissed.
We have the AB temp worker, who is doing an outstanding job, and would make a good replacement for the A1C, who is undergoing a certification process that would make her more valuable in another section of the squadron. The suggestion was made that the AB replace the A1C, and both of the flight superintendents ok'd the personnel move. My boss initially agreed to the move as well. The other flight superintendent wanted the package to be written on the A1C, and since I wasn't going to have her in my section anymore, i decided that regardless of what she wanted, I owed her this package in order to make her more competative for promotion (since i wouldn't be able to write her promotion package). My boss got wind of this, and took my decision as a personal insult. In his eyes, i wouldn't write the package for him, but i would write it for an enlisted flight superintendent. However, my boss did not inform me that he was upset at all.
He then goes into a meeting with the commander, where, after he had already told both flight superintendents that he would approve the AB to replace A1C move, he goes back on his word and completely rejects the idea to the commander. He then goes on to recommend another LT to the commander for a position that he told me he was going to recommend myself for. Additionally, he words an extremely strong(and might i say vulgar) email to myself and another section chief in his flight about missing suspenses, however, instead of addressing the award package issue, he belittles me for missing a suspense that I had already verbally told him i had no input on.
I was absolutely floored after all this. I mean, i work harder and longer than any other person in my flight including my boss. I bust my ass for the guy, and rather than talking to me about these issues, he just throws me under the bus. I only find out what happened after the damage has all been done.
Here's the larger impact though. His temper tantrum, effected not only the relationship i have with him, but also how he's viewed by both of the flight superintendents, as well as the other section cheif he belittled. Sure, he may have scored a point or two with the commander, but he lost a lot of respect from his subordinates and co-workers.
I was happy with how i handled the situation for the most part. Granted, by the time i learned the extend of the situation, my boss had already gone home for the day, so i didn't have the chance to talk to him directly. However, I did do a pretty good job of cooling off before i walked back into my workcenter. I worked out a plan with my TSgt to continue to write the award package, even though the reason for writing it wasn't the same. I listened to the flight superintendents complains about being left out to dry without going on a tie raid about how i couldn't believe what a weazel my boss was. I didn't lose my cool, and i managed to maintain the respect of my subordinates in the process.
Now, how to find a healthy way to deal with the fact that I'm still pissed.
Monday, June 23, 2008
23 June - entry 1
For the first part of this journal, i was given the assignment of writing down what my values where. Here's what I wrote down.
Hard Work - I value the sweat on the brow thats earned through laboring. There are plenty of easy patches and quick fixes out there, but if you really want to solve a problem, build a solution, and learn how to prevent/solve future problems in the process, you have to put in the long hours, put your nose to the grindstone, and put your heart and soul into working the process.
Personal Pride - This stems partly from how highly i value work. When you really put your time into something, it becomes and extension of yourself in many ways. People look at the product and know, simply because your name is attached to it that its going to be right, and if it's not right, they know you will do whatever it takes in order to fix it. If you take on your projects and responsiblities as if they directly reflected who you are as a person, the hard work follows.
Humility - Its one thing to take pride in a job well done, its an entirely different however when you let that personal pride in your job extend itself into boastfulness and feelings of superiority. If you want other's adulation, let your work speak for you, let your work earn it, don't promote your own actions or deeds because when you do so, the only praise you will receive is that which you give yourself.
That's what I initially wrote during the class, and i feel its an accurate reflection of my real values. Those are what i would consider to be the core of who i am, and traits that I work on every day. However, as the class discussion continued i realized that those values are great for the guy turning the wrench, they aren't great for the leader of 20 guys turning the wrenches. Hard work, personel pride, and humility will get me very far at lower levels, but in order to lead, in order to truely inspire the best in others, I need to adopt new values. Here's a couple i propose to work on.
Give praise where praise due- I have people that bust their asses every day for me. While I don't expect or ask them to do any more than I do, I don't always give them the praise they deserve. I need to recognize my people for the hard work they do, and let them know i see how hard they work every day.
Effective communication - This goes along with giving praise. I often find myself so far in the weeds that I don't stop to communicate my plans, my goals, my expectations, my current perceptions, as well as taking the time to stop and listen to their plans, goals, expectations, and current perceptions. I need to make time to communicate.
At the end of class, part 2, turning the ideal values into real values was announced. I've just come up with my 2 ideal values, praising others, and effective communication. Here's my current plan on how to implement.
More structured shop meetings - Currently I'm holding ad hoc shop meetings on a biweekly basis. These aren't planned, they don't have a set time, and they very rarely have an agenda. While I constantly communicate with my people, i very rarely communicate anything other than the day to day. I don't let them in on my thoughts, my plans, and my perceptions. For now, I'll plan on weekly formal shop meetings monday mornings, with an actual agenda, and more of the informal meetings that i use right now.
More regular individual feedbacks - The only time I'm really giving feedback to my troops currently is when I'm required to or when they approach me. I need to give more regular feedbacks to let them in on my perceptions, where i see their strengths, their weaknesses, as well as give them a private forum to address any grievances with me. For now, I'll plan on informal feedback sessions every 6 weeks.
Its only a two part action plan, but i think it adequately cover's my two goals. Praise will be given on the spot, during informal meetings, and during feedback sessions, and in the process I'll have more face time to communicate with my troops.
Hard Work - I value the sweat on the brow thats earned through laboring. There are plenty of easy patches and quick fixes out there, but if you really want to solve a problem, build a solution, and learn how to prevent/solve future problems in the process, you have to put in the long hours, put your nose to the grindstone, and put your heart and soul into working the process.
Personal Pride - This stems partly from how highly i value work. When you really put your time into something, it becomes and extension of yourself in many ways. People look at the product and know, simply because your name is attached to it that its going to be right, and if it's not right, they know you will do whatever it takes in order to fix it. If you take on your projects and responsiblities as if they directly reflected who you are as a person, the hard work follows.
Humility - Its one thing to take pride in a job well done, its an entirely different however when you let that personal pride in your job extend itself into boastfulness and feelings of superiority. If you want other's adulation, let your work speak for you, let your work earn it, don't promote your own actions or deeds because when you do so, the only praise you will receive is that which you give yourself.
That's what I initially wrote during the class, and i feel its an accurate reflection of my real values. Those are what i would consider to be the core of who i am, and traits that I work on every day. However, as the class discussion continued i realized that those values are great for the guy turning the wrench, they aren't great for the leader of 20 guys turning the wrenches. Hard work, personel pride, and humility will get me very far at lower levels, but in order to lead, in order to truely inspire the best in others, I need to adopt new values. Here's a couple i propose to work on.
Give praise where praise due- I have people that bust their asses every day for me. While I don't expect or ask them to do any more than I do, I don't always give them the praise they deserve. I need to recognize my people for the hard work they do, and let them know i see how hard they work every day.
Effective communication - This goes along with giving praise. I often find myself so far in the weeds that I don't stop to communicate my plans, my goals, my expectations, my current perceptions, as well as taking the time to stop and listen to their plans, goals, expectations, and current perceptions. I need to make time to communicate.
At the end of class, part 2, turning the ideal values into real values was announced. I've just come up with my 2 ideal values, praising others, and effective communication. Here's my current plan on how to implement.
More structured shop meetings - Currently I'm holding ad hoc shop meetings on a biweekly basis. These aren't planned, they don't have a set time, and they very rarely have an agenda. While I constantly communicate with my people, i very rarely communicate anything other than the day to day. I don't let them in on my thoughts, my plans, and my perceptions. For now, I'll plan on weekly formal shop meetings monday mornings, with an actual agenda, and more of the informal meetings that i use right now.
More regular individual feedbacks - The only time I'm really giving feedback to my troops currently is when I'm required to or when they approach me. I need to give more regular feedbacks to let them in on my perceptions, where i see their strengths, their weaknesses, as well as give them a private forum to address any grievances with me. For now, I'll plan on informal feedback sessions every 6 weeks.
Its only a two part action plan, but i think it adequately cover's my two goals. Praise will be given on the spot, during informal meetings, and during feedback sessions, and in the process I'll have more face time to communicate with my troops.
Friday, June 20, 2008
20 June - entry 1
Today was the flight's "offsite teambuilding activity" which consisted of golf. I am not a golfer, i cannot golf well at all, but i can drive the hell the hell out of a golf cart, however, that is an entirely different story. It was a a chance to blow of some steam, laugh at yourself and each other, and more importantly get to know your people outside of work. The more i know about who works for me and who I'm working with, the more i know about what they want and what can movitave them.
I'm a computer science guy by lifestyle and education, and I tend to think in a very structured and orderly manner. Step 1 leads to step 2 and produces output A. The challange i have is not only in understanding what affects a person's preformance in duties they already know and comprehend, but also to present new task to a person in a manner that will motivate them to want to undertake it. Yes, I can order them to do it, but an order to do it will only produce exactly what they were ordered to produce, nothing more, and depending on how clearly the order was communicated, maybe something less. If you motivate them correctly though, they take a task in, internalize it, take pride in it, and by doing so they're naturally more inclined to look for ways in which they can improve the process, both the final product and the production of it.
Thats kind of my goal with my temp worker. In my observation of my A1C training him up, I noticed that she was starting to see some flaws in her processes. She's focused more on her upcomming A+ class, so she didn't focus too much on the flaws then, but i see an opportunity here. Let the temp get settled in for a few days, ask him what he sees as not making sense just to get him thinking, and then get him to make some suggestions to the A1C. After she get's her A+ certification out of the way, she'll probably be dying to get back to something she understands again, and that's when i get him to talk to her about what he was thinking, and that, combined with her renewed vigor after an absense from the job, could get some new ideas flowing. Its just a thought, we'll see how it pans out later.
I'm a computer science guy by lifestyle and education, and I tend to think in a very structured and orderly manner. Step 1 leads to step 2 and produces output A. The challange i have is not only in understanding what affects a person's preformance in duties they already know and comprehend, but also to present new task to a person in a manner that will motivate them to want to undertake it. Yes, I can order them to do it, but an order to do it will only produce exactly what they were ordered to produce, nothing more, and depending on how clearly the order was communicated, maybe something less. If you motivate them correctly though, they take a task in, internalize it, take pride in it, and by doing so they're naturally more inclined to look for ways in which they can improve the process, both the final product and the production of it.
Thats kind of my goal with my temp worker. In my observation of my A1C training him up, I noticed that she was starting to see some flaws in her processes. She's focused more on her upcomming A+ class, so she didn't focus too much on the flaws then, but i see an opportunity here. Let the temp get settled in for a few days, ask him what he sees as not making sense just to get him thinking, and then get him to make some suggestions to the A1C. After she get's her A+ certification out of the way, she'll probably be dying to get back to something she understands again, and that's when i get him to talk to her about what he was thinking, and that, combined with her renewed vigor after an absense from the job, could get some new ideas flowing. Its just a thought, we'll see how it pans out later.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
19 June - entry 1
planning and prepping a change, both macro and micro examples. For this entry I've two examples that I'm currently dealing with that revolve around a lack of planning on the part of superiors.
For the Macro level, there's the situation with our special mission flight. 4/5's of our squadron is dedicated to base support, and 1/5 is dedicated to our deployable support/special mission flight. While this special mission flight is designed to be deployable comm support, it also serves to keep our base support airmen proficient on deployable comm equipment as well as supporting other elements of the wing during exercises. Roughly 3 months ago, senior leadership announced that the special mission flight would leave our base and be relocated. Senior leadership has not yet released a timeline for this move. I can understand the logic that you want to show all our cards to give your airmen most time to prepare for the eventual move, but really all this has just proved to be a high morale crusher. First off, you have an entire 5th of the squadron that you can't use in any long term projects or plan on using in the future because you can't depend on it being there. Second, you have a 5th of the squadron who know's they're going to have to go through all the stresses of moving, but have no idea when or where, so they can't make any long term plans that they can depend on.
Now its just foolish to think that decisions of this nature exist in a vacuum. Subject matter experts were most definitely called upon for their expertise, and they most certainly talked to their peers, who then continued the rumor mill process. But rumors are just that, rumors, they are by no means fact. However, whenever your boss says this will go away, you need a more substantial timeframe than, "sometime in the near future", and for the past 3 months, that's all we've gotten.
For the Micro level, there's my current position. For most Lt's in my unit, its common to move positions once every 8-12 months. Basically this base serves as an introduction into the career field, you have a chance to move around the entire squadron, experience all aspects of base communications, and develop a well rounded communication's officer from the whole thing. I was given a task of uniting several disjointed squadron support functions into a single office, which i did successfully. However, I ended up pigeon holing myself in the process by making myself too critical to the smooth operations of the unit in my current role. So, I figured that my current position would last longer than the normal 8-12 month rotation, however the commander made the point clear that she was going to move the officer's at their 8-12 month point, in order to give them the breadth of experience they need to get. She even went as far as to tell me face to face on several occasions that I need to move positions. This was distressing to me, because i was in a shop with a high turnover rate and as a result, i was the sole source of continuty in that shop, and i certainly didn't have my people prepared to take over for me. So here i am, on the basis of my time in my position and the commander pointing to me and telling me its time to move me, trying frantically to get my people spun up to the point where they could take over for me.
Ultimately there was a large meeting, in which all the officer's were given their new assignments, except for me. I was the only one who wasn't moved. The explaination was that I was too key in my current position, and that a recommendation would be made to the new commander to move me into another position when she takes command in august/september. Not that I don't love feeling needed, but now I'm almost feeling jaded by the whole situation. I'm told that I need to move for my career, and then I'm not moved because its too convienent to keep me where I am. So I spend a month an a half worrying, working 14-16 hour days trying to build up as much continuity as i possibly could, and its all for not. A suggestion will be made, however it will merely be a suggestion, there is no authority behind it, and who's to say it won't be more convienent for the next commander to just keep me where i am then as well?
So, the morale of these examples is, don't announce plans for a change unless 1) you have your facts straight and your road planned out and 2) you actually will go through with the change. Tomorrow brings with it a team building activity, I'm not a golfer, but I'll still give it a try.
For the Macro level, there's the situation with our special mission flight. 4/5's of our squadron is dedicated to base support, and 1/5 is dedicated to our deployable support/special mission flight. While this special mission flight is designed to be deployable comm support, it also serves to keep our base support airmen proficient on deployable comm equipment as well as supporting other elements of the wing during exercises. Roughly 3 months ago, senior leadership announced that the special mission flight would leave our base and be relocated. Senior leadership has not yet released a timeline for this move. I can understand the logic that you want to show all our cards to give your airmen most time to prepare for the eventual move, but really all this has just proved to be a high morale crusher. First off, you have an entire 5th of the squadron that you can't use in any long term projects or plan on using in the future because you can't depend on it being there. Second, you have a 5th of the squadron who know's they're going to have to go through all the stresses of moving, but have no idea when or where, so they can't make any long term plans that they can depend on.
Now its just foolish to think that decisions of this nature exist in a vacuum. Subject matter experts were most definitely called upon for their expertise, and they most certainly talked to their peers, who then continued the rumor mill process. But rumors are just that, rumors, they are by no means fact. However, whenever your boss says this will go away, you need a more substantial timeframe than, "sometime in the near future", and for the past 3 months, that's all we've gotten.
For the Micro level, there's my current position. For most Lt's in my unit, its common to move positions once every 8-12 months. Basically this base serves as an introduction into the career field, you have a chance to move around the entire squadron, experience all aspects of base communications, and develop a well rounded communication's officer from the whole thing. I was given a task of uniting several disjointed squadron support functions into a single office, which i did successfully. However, I ended up pigeon holing myself in the process by making myself too critical to the smooth operations of the unit in my current role. So, I figured that my current position would last longer than the normal 8-12 month rotation, however the commander made the point clear that she was going to move the officer's at their 8-12 month point, in order to give them the breadth of experience they need to get. She even went as far as to tell me face to face on several occasions that I need to move positions. This was distressing to me, because i was in a shop with a high turnover rate and as a result, i was the sole source of continuty in that shop, and i certainly didn't have my people prepared to take over for me. So here i am, on the basis of my time in my position and the commander pointing to me and telling me its time to move me, trying frantically to get my people spun up to the point where they could take over for me.
Ultimately there was a large meeting, in which all the officer's were given their new assignments, except for me. I was the only one who wasn't moved. The explaination was that I was too key in my current position, and that a recommendation would be made to the new commander to move me into another position when she takes command in august/september. Not that I don't love feeling needed, but now I'm almost feeling jaded by the whole situation. I'm told that I need to move for my career, and then I'm not moved because its too convienent to keep me where I am. So I spend a month an a half worrying, working 14-16 hour days trying to build up as much continuity as i possibly could, and its all for not. A suggestion will be made, however it will merely be a suggestion, there is no authority behind it, and who's to say it won't be more convienent for the next commander to just keep me where i am then as well?
So, the morale of these examples is, don't announce plans for a change unless 1) you have your facts straight and your road planned out and 2) you actually will go through with the change. Tomorrow brings with it a team building activity, I'm not a golfer, but I'll still give it a try.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
18 June - entry 1
So today we got in a new Airman to help out with the manning issue. Its always an interesting situation when you get a new employee to the workcenter. I layed out the basic groundrules and got him immediately to sit down with the A1C he'll be filling in for over the next couple weeks.
Its definitely a case of information overload. I didn't have a clue as to his level of experience, and despite his best intentions, he's still facing the challange of working from next to no knowledge of even the basic structure of our organization. Luckily the A1C is an extremely competent troop and was able to clearly lay out the squadron's structure, and cover Points of Contact in higher levels that the Airmen will need to be familiar with. She has one more day to spend training him up, and with the progress i've seen sofar, i think it will be fairly successful.
On a side note, a section cheif from another area came to me today with a personnel issue. She has a troop who is having some fairly significant physical fitness issues, and she wanted to use me as a sounding board before she went forward with any disciplinary actions. I don't think I'll ever really get used to this situation. Here I am only 24 years old, and there's this experienced MSgt with 20 years of active duty service who's asking me to serve as her sounding board. I mean I should be taking notes from her, I don't have the experience she has, but for whatever reasons she's feels like she can trust my judgement. It's just a strange situation to find yourself in.
Well tomorrow brings with it another day of training for my temp worker, and hopefully a chance to catch up on some work i have piliing up in my inbox.
Its definitely a case of information overload. I didn't have a clue as to his level of experience, and despite his best intentions, he's still facing the challange of working from next to no knowledge of even the basic structure of our organization. Luckily the A1C is an extremely competent troop and was able to clearly lay out the squadron's structure, and cover Points of Contact in higher levels that the Airmen will need to be familiar with. She has one more day to spend training him up, and with the progress i've seen sofar, i think it will be fairly successful.
On a side note, a section cheif from another area came to me today with a personnel issue. She has a troop who is having some fairly significant physical fitness issues, and she wanted to use me as a sounding board before she went forward with any disciplinary actions. I don't think I'll ever really get used to this situation. Here I am only 24 years old, and there's this experienced MSgt with 20 years of active duty service who's asking me to serve as her sounding board. I mean I should be taking notes from her, I don't have the experience she has, but for whatever reasons she's feels like she can trust my judgement. It's just a strange situation to find yourself in.
Well tomorrow brings with it another day of training for my temp worker, and hopefully a chance to catch up on some work i have piliing up in my inbox.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
17 June - entry 1
Today was the manpower meeting with my shop. I took them out for lunch, just to have a chance to de-stress and lighten everyone mood before we got into any heated discussions. Afterwards i arranged for a conference room, someplace away from out normal shop setting to be avaiblible for us to all sit down in away from our normal office environment. Also, before I brought my personnel in, i arranged for another member of senior leadership to be present.
I layed out the facts of our present situation. I layed out my plan of action in order to lessen our workload, and then i asked them for their inputs. Basically if we have the three of us, at work, unencumbered by any external forces, we can get the job done. However, there is no redundency and any change, be it leave, or training opportunities, or deployments would leave us high and dry.
This is where having our senior leader in the room really paid off. After hearing the arguments, i was able to convince her to commit another person to our shop. Now this is a fresh from tech school airman, so his experience level will be an issue, however he is an extremely hard charging airman, and has a strong desire to do good work, which i think will more than make up for his lack of experience in the long term.
The extra manning i was able to secure allows my A1C to train up on critical network certifications required by her AFSC, in addition it provides another body trained in personnel duties to augment my shops manning should my A1C need for go on leave, or i need someone qualified on data entry to update our databases and tracking systems.
Now for the fun part, the introduction to the workcenter, laying out of goals and expectations, and initial training. I'm really looking forward to just giving this eager young airman a program and seeing him run with it. I'm curious to see where he'll take it, how far he'll take it, and what ideas he'll come up with that I've never even considered before.
I layed out the facts of our present situation. I layed out my plan of action in order to lessen our workload, and then i asked them for their inputs. Basically if we have the three of us, at work, unencumbered by any external forces, we can get the job done. However, there is no redundency and any change, be it leave, or training opportunities, or deployments would leave us high and dry.
This is where having our senior leader in the room really paid off. After hearing the arguments, i was able to convince her to commit another person to our shop. Now this is a fresh from tech school airman, so his experience level will be an issue, however he is an extremely hard charging airman, and has a strong desire to do good work, which i think will more than make up for his lack of experience in the long term.
The extra manning i was able to secure allows my A1C to train up on critical network certifications required by her AFSC, in addition it provides another body trained in personnel duties to augment my shops manning should my A1C need for go on leave, or i need someone qualified on data entry to update our databases and tracking systems.
Now for the fun part, the introduction to the workcenter, laying out of goals and expectations, and initial training. I'm really looking forward to just giving this eager young airman a program and seeing him run with it. I'm curious to see where he'll take it, how far he'll take it, and what ideas he'll come up with that I've never even considered before.
Monday, June 16, 2008
16 June - entry 1
Most of my writing will inevitably revolve around my work, so its probably best to start off with my job description. Within the communication's squadron, i manage/run the deployment, training, emergency management, and personnel management programs. Until recently, today actually, my office consisted of three military personnel, a TSgt deployment manager, a TSgt training manager, and an A1C personnelist. None of these people were trained for these jobs by virtue of their AFSC, all these people were trained up while serving in their positions.
My Training manager, is in a critical AFSC, and due to manning shortages in another part of the squadron, he had to be pulled from my section, and sent to another worksection. Unfortunately, there isn't another person who can be pulled to replace him, so I'm going to be shorthanded for the forseeable future. Now, the immediate facts of the situation dictate that I find a way in which i can do the job of 4 people with 3, however, I don't beleive that's the end of the issue here. The commander's executive officer- aka secretary - is slated to PCS in July, and there is yet to be a clear replacement named. Before the current exec took his position, i filled in the position in the interim in addition to my current duties, and its my belief that when the current exec leaves, I'll be asked to preform those duties as well. So my actual challange is how to do the work of 5 people with 3.
Before the recent personnel moves, there was a clear division of tasks within my workcenter, and i was able to fill in for any absenses, balance out the workload when needed, and also help out any other struggleing workcenters with any training/personnel/deployment/emergency management issues they were having, leaving my workcenter to accomplish the day to day while i was able to help the squadron progress as a whole. It also made my workcenter more effective because they do not have any direct control over the squadron as whole, so while they're programs touched every memeber of the squadron, they had no real authority over the squadron, so i was able to serve as a liason to grease the wheels and alternately as a hammer when needed.
I haven't truely had a moment to sit down and absorb how this personnel move will truely affect my workcenter, and neither have my personnel, however if i wait for them to feel the effects, it will already be too late, and drastic measures will have to be taken just to catch up to where we need to be.
I think the most obvious solution here is to revise the division of work, however, if i alone make all the decisions on this one, I'll never get them to truely buy off. Morale will suffer regardless, but i think it will drop even lower if i tell them what programs to take on. My current plan to resolve this is simple, take an afternoon off, sit them down in a room, list out the tasks that need to be accomplished by the workcenter as a whole and the frequency in which they need to be done, and get their input on how best to divide them up. I have faith that they are both team players to the point that they would be willing to take on some additional work in order to ensure no lapse of service to the squadron, plus it allows them to buy in to the process.
So, thats my plan as best i can think of, hopefully I'll be writing a more cheery entry tomorrow.
-Jarzabek
My Training manager, is in a critical AFSC, and due to manning shortages in another part of the squadron, he had to be pulled from my section, and sent to another worksection. Unfortunately, there isn't another person who can be pulled to replace him, so I'm going to be shorthanded for the forseeable future. Now, the immediate facts of the situation dictate that I find a way in which i can do the job of 4 people with 3, however, I don't beleive that's the end of the issue here. The commander's executive officer- aka secretary - is slated to PCS in July, and there is yet to be a clear replacement named. Before the current exec took his position, i filled in the position in the interim in addition to my current duties, and its my belief that when the current exec leaves, I'll be asked to preform those duties as well. So my actual challange is how to do the work of 5 people with 3.
Before the recent personnel moves, there was a clear division of tasks within my workcenter, and i was able to fill in for any absenses, balance out the workload when needed, and also help out any other struggleing workcenters with any training/personnel/deployment/emergency management issues they were having, leaving my workcenter to accomplish the day to day while i was able to help the squadron progress as a whole. It also made my workcenter more effective because they do not have any direct control over the squadron as whole, so while they're programs touched every memeber of the squadron, they had no real authority over the squadron, so i was able to serve as a liason to grease the wheels and alternately as a hammer when needed.
I haven't truely had a moment to sit down and absorb how this personnel move will truely affect my workcenter, and neither have my personnel, however if i wait for them to feel the effects, it will already be too late, and drastic measures will have to be taken just to catch up to where we need to be.
I think the most obvious solution here is to revise the division of work, however, if i alone make all the decisions on this one, I'll never get them to truely buy off. Morale will suffer regardless, but i think it will drop even lower if i tell them what programs to take on. My current plan to resolve this is simple, take an afternoon off, sit them down in a room, list out the tasks that need to be accomplished by the workcenter as a whole and the frequency in which they need to be done, and get their input on how best to divide them up. I have faith that they are both team players to the point that they would be willing to take on some additional work in order to ensure no lapse of service to the squadron, plus it allows them to buy in to the process.
So, thats my plan as best i can think of, hopefully I'll be writing a more cheery entry tomorrow.
-Jarzabek
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